Being a parent to a young child or even having young children in your home always carries some risks. One of the biggest risks is that a child may try to stick something in an electrical outlet and get seriously shocked or even suffer fatal electrocution.
In the U.S. alone, nearly 2,500 children a year require medical attention as a result of putting a foreign object into an outlet and getting severely shocked. That’s why you should make sure you take steps to block off the outlets in your home if you have young children around. In this article, we’ll explore the various options you have for childproofing the outlets in your home and explain which methods are the most effective.
Masking Tape
To the young mind of a toddler or even a small child, the three holes on an outlet can look just like a smiling, happy face. Studies have shown that children can quickly recognize and are drawn to anything that looks like a face. That’s the reason why so many curious young ones are so drawn to electrical outlets and may start playing around and sticking things into one of them. It’s also why just using masking or painter’s tape to cover up an outlet can potentially be an effective deterrent since it hides the “face” from their view.
Of course, just taping over your outlets really isn’t an effective long-term solution and will really only deter much younger toddlers. It can possibly be a good option if you suddenly have young children in your home unexpectedly, but there are much better solutions if you’re looking to fully childproof your electrical system. This is because a curious child could still push an object through the tape into the outlet, risking shock or electrocution.
Plastic Outlet Plugs
Plastic outlet plugs were the go-to method for childproofing outlets for decades since they cost so little and you can just pop them straight into the outlet. While these plugs can also be a decent temporary solution if you’re in a pinch, they aren’t nearly as effective as many people think and can also be an additional safety hazard.
One reason they aren’t all that effective is that studies have shown that most, if not all toddlers between two and four years old can easily remove the plugs and gain access to the outlet. In terms of safety hazards, the main concern is that a child may pull the plug out and then put it in its mouth and possibly choke on it.
If you do opt for plastic plugs, you want to make fully certain that the plug fits securely in the outlet and requires a bit of force to pull it back out. You also need to make sure you remember to put the plug back in place after using the outlet. The other important thing is to only buy plain, clear plugs since any type of colorful or decorative plug will increase the chances of a child being attracted to it and potentially wanting to put it in their mouth.
Sliding Face Plates
Installing a sliding face plate on all of your outlets is a more effective option and something you can easily do yourself. All it takes is removing the screw in between the two plugs on the existing face plate so you can remove it and then screwing the new sliding plate in place.
On a standard face plate, the three holes are always open and exposed. A sliding plate instead has two additional pieces of plastic that you can move back and forth. The plate always remains slid to the side when the outlet isn’t in use so that all three of the holes are covered. When you need to plug anything into the outlet, all you need to do is slide the plastic cover to the side so the holes are exposed.
While there’s less of a chance that a young child can slide the cover to the side and then put an object into the outlet at the same time, it can still happen. That’s why this option still isn’t as childproof as some of the others.
Snap-On Outlet Covers
When it comes to hiding the “face” of an outlet so no young children are attracted to it, using a plastic snap-on cover is the most effective option. It’s also an inexpensive option since you can easily put the covers on all of your outlets yourself.
This type of cover is just a plastic box that fits directly over the face plate of an outlet and snaps securely in place so that the entire outlet is hidden from view. While some of these covers can be extremely effective, the drawback is that they are bulky and will definitely stand out.
A basic snap-on cover is also something many children can open to access the outlet since all it takes is to just pull up on the lid on the front of the cover and pop it open. That’s why you’re much better off choosing “locking” covers if you opt for this method. The term “locking outlet cover” is somewhat misleading since most of them don’t actually lock with a key. Instead, you just have to push firmly down on a tab in the middle of each side of the cover to unlatch the lid and open it.
Even still, it’s unlikely that a young child would be able to figure out how to open the cover and get to the outlet. There are outlet covers that require a key to open, but these are more expensive and mostly designed for use with outdoor outlets to prevent someone from stealing your power.
Tamper-Resistant Outlets
If you’re looking to fully childproof your outlets and ensure they are safe, the best option is to have an electrician upgrade your power receptacles with tamper-resistant outlets. This type of outlet is similar to a sliding face plate in that the holes on the receptacle are completely covered when nothing is plugged into the outlet. That said, a tamper-resistant outlet is far more effective, as each hole is covered by a spring-loaded shutter.
When you plug a cord into a tamper-resistant outlet, the prongs on the plug push the shutters to the side so that the plug slides in easily. However, the shutters will only move when a prong is inserted into both of the holes. That means a child won’t ever be able to insert any object into one of the holes since both shutters will remain closed and block the holes off. The only way they could ever be shocked or electrocuted would be if they put two objects of the same size into each hole at the same time using the same amount of pressure on both objects; this is almost certainly never going to happen.
The fact that tamper-resistant receptacles or outlets are so effective for childproofing is why the National Electric Code has required their use in all new homes since 2008. While you will need an electrician to upgrade to new wiring with fresh outlets that are tamper-resistant, it’s well worth the cost since you can’t put a price on keeping your young kids safe.
When you need any type of home service in the Lincoln or Omaha areas, John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical is the company to call. We offer expert electrical inspection, upgrade, and installation services and will work with you to ensure your home’s electrical system is fully childproof. You can also count on us to provide top-notch plumbing and HVAC services. Whether you need to upgrade your electrical outlets or require any other assistance with your home’s major systems, give John Henry's Plumbing, Heating, Air, and Electrical a call today.
